Water - the other part of the Equation

Wild1 · Senior Member

Water - the other part of the Equation

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Wow! 200lt = 200kg, Jen, as you orobably already know. Do you have that spare weight on the van? Plus, being on the back might cause a balance problem?

Lorries · Veteran Member

Care needed with this - 200 litres equals 200kgs and to put that amount of weight on the back of your van could totally throw the front wheels traction to name but one issue. Will it also put you overweight ad would the overhang of the box keep you within the 60% rule?

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

Jen - when you say "van" do you mean your Leisure Seeker MOTORHOME ... as per your avatar??

And as young Doug sez ... 200Kg on the back - of even a motorhome - is a heap of weight hmm

One can only assume you are intending to be going to some very remote, dry places for extended stays the majority of the time?

Otherwise - 200Kg (litres) of water is a heap to need. hmm

How much is contained within the standard tanks on the Leisure Seeker?

Cheers - John

Wild1 · Senior Member

I had thought about the extra weight and balance - which is something I hope some engineer type person would be able to advise me about. The van is an Iveco which is a truck body with dual rear wheels. I try to travel light and keep the grey water tank empty as much as possible - no generator, heavy tools, extra people etc.

rockylizard · Guru

Wild1 wrote:
I had thought about the extra weight and balance - which is something I hope some engineer type person would be able to advise me about. The van is an Iveco which is a truck body with dual rear wheels. I try to travel light and keep the grey water tank empty as much as possible - no generator, heavy tools, extra people etc.

Gday...

confuse So that implies you are only going to be in camps/areas/parks where you don't need to contain your grey-water?

I am quite interested in your reasoning for the need/requirement to carry 200litres of water over and above the capacity of the standard tanks in your Iveco?

Cheers - John

[edit: remember, if you carry 200litres of fresh water and nothing in the grey-water tank it is 200Kg of water ... if you are at a place that requires containing the grey-water, you will be transferring that 200Kg from the fresh to the grey-water - the weight basically does not alter - just where it is carried]

-- Edited by rockylizard on Friday 12th of May 2017 09:28:02 AM

Wild1 · Senior Member

Hi John, yes it's the LS as on the Avator

Wild1 · Senior Member

My reasoning is simple - I do free camp as much as possible (90%) and the 100 litre tank the van came with only lasts me 3 days, even though I'm very careful. There aren't taps just anywhere you go these days and I travel mainly in rural areas where water can be scarce.

blaze · Guru

If You really need 200l extra I hink you will need to look at smaller tanks mounted foward of the rear wheels and up near the chassis rails running paralel to the prop shaft, most likely need to be custom made and I reckon the cost would be north of $2000
cheers
blaze

rgren2 · Guru

Unless the tank was baffled I'd be worried about driving around with a partially filled tank. 100 - 150 litres sloshing about would seriously hamper handling.

villatranquilla · Guru

100 lts of water used in 3 days seems a lot - when showering do you wet down, turn off water, soap up then rinse off. We use nappy wipes on alternative days.

Wild1 · Senior Member

I do try to do that 'routine' except in cold weather. A daily shower is a must to me - but use wipes for other things.

brickies · Guru

If you install a water tank on the back of your unit you may need baffles in the tank to stop the water surging around causing balance problems .

Wild1 · Senior Member

Thanks everyone, for your suggestions.
A mechanic is going to have a look underneath to see if I can get a flexible bladder underneath, but it will mean shifting stuff around (wiring, pipes). There seems to be plenty of space there but its getting in between rails and crossbars. That way was my first intention but a couple of people have said 'too hard'.

macka17 · Guru

Hi.

Just an alternative. (Possibly)
A water desal unit..

We used 'em on the yachts for decades.
You can Basically turn ANY water based liquid into clear drinking water.

The First one I ever bought. at a boat show. ALL blokes at the time.

He pissed into the container.
Ran it through the desal. then drank it. Seriously. A few even tried it (NOT icky boy)
But I did buy one.

AC are more efficient than DC. OR used to be. 10 yrs out of touch .

Another way.

There are plastic water\diesel tanks sold nowadays. reinforced to carry below veh.
Differing sizes and shapes to suit.
Inside too. Floor pan. upright\flat flat on floor. In wheel arches.
Look up on net.

I've just formatted this lappie again.
No links in here till I start doing things again.

If you near big town\city. Look in Ph Book for scrap metal dealers.
You can buy offcuts of all metals pay by the kg.
I used to get 99% of my Stainless that way .
And don't forget the baffles if a big or long one.

Another way.
Front and rear bumper bars.
I've seen them made up as water\diesel tanks.

You could get a fair amount in 2 of them??,
Without going much outside of veh, front
ear profile.

Wild1 · Senior Member

I have found a flexible nylon water bladder online, just need a place to put it. Thanks anyway Macka

Footprints · Senior Member

A simple solution that I have seen with a number of units like yours. That is a small trailer behind with one of those caged plastic water tanks mounted on it. Simple to transfer water to MH and can leave at home on shorter trips or when not required. Cheers Allen

Hylife · Guru

200 litres on the back will simply be unsafe. Regardless of your vans load carrying capabilities, your van will handle like a dog if you put that much weight on the back.

Fresh water you carry should be for consumption only. 60 litres should last you a week or more.
If you need to wash yourself you would only use maybe 5 to 10 litres per person. Wet down, turn off water, soap up, turn on water and rinse off.
Get used to a sponge bath with a wet face washer and some warm water in the sink or a bucket.
Many sources of water can be found on your travels and whilst you may not trust it to drink, it will be quite fine to wash in, or to do your laundry. Grab a couple of 10 litre paint pails from Bunnings.
Waterproof seals on lid act as a carrier and a washing machine.

Desert Dweller · Guru

Sounds like a silly idea to me! 200kg hanging off the rear end equals handling problems.

macka17 · Guru

IF you going seriously off road where there's no liquid supplies and don't want to restrict yourself.
The above 5x3\6\4 trailer wiuld be safest route.
Just for those trips.

THE BEST water use control though. Of ALL of them.

Is a small hand pump access to tank ONLY....
It really DOES slow down the usage of.
Smaller the better.

First time I took Di on weekend away on Yacht.(Ocean going\desal unit)
750ltr water tanks, linked.

She emptied them over the weekend. Actually emptied them.
I last a month.

I fitted a hand pump and took fuse out of electric pump after that.
Till she got the message. Turn it off.

sandman55 · Guru

Hi Wild1 what macka17 had to say re desal sparked my interest. I did a Google and found this

http://www.pacificwater.com.au/product-category/residential-rural/caravan-water-filters/

if they cant help you then they might be able to point you to some one who can.

EDIT: can some one tell me what I am doing wrong with my link so that it can be clicked on

-- Edited by sandman55 on Sunday 14th of May 2017 12:47:58 AM

RustyD · Guru

My van only has a 60 litre tank plus 14 litre hot water. Wife showers daily. Depending what I am doing, I may only shower every other day.

My best investments were a water filter (www.bes****erfilters.com.au) and a cheap 12v electric pump (off eBay) to push water thru it. I just get a bucket of water from the closest water source and suck it up into the van. Pump runs from external 12v point on the van. This water is generally good enough to shower and wash dishes. Depending on the source, OK to clean teeth. Have used water at dump points on a two occasions (using filter).

Seen many nomads using pump & filter. Cheaper than towing an extra 200 kgs around. Even a half full 60 L tank sloshes about travelling. When travelling, ideally tanks should be full or empty.

As for drinking water, I take 20 litres of tap water in a container, as many ex-cordial plastic bottles (1 & 2 L) and a slab or two of 600ml bottled water (cheapest I can get). Only time I buy bottled water.

Mike Harding · Guru

>My best investments were a water filter (www.bes****erfilters.com.au) and a cheap 12v electric pump

Your "naughty word" filter *really* needs to be sorted out.

wendyv · Guru

We used to stay remote for lengthy periods. Had 2x60L fresh water tanks on the caravan - could make that last a month for two of us. BUT we did not have a shower in the van. You can actually get - and feel - quite clean with a sponge bath using a bucket!
We would use river or dam water, boiled, for things like washing up.
We did have one of the black solar water heating shower bags - it would warm up reasonably quickly when laid out on the ground at camp. Maybe you could try one of these - see if it is possible to hang it over the base of the shower arm or have someone fit a rail or hook it could be hung from. Then you can use river water etc for the shower.

RustyD · Guru

Mike Harding wrote:
>My best investments were a water filter (www.bes****erfilters.com.au) and a cheap 12v electric pump
Your "naughty word" filter *really* needs to be sorted out.

Oh. Didn't spot that. I'm normally called Dicko but lots of filters change it to Thingyo. Took ages to figure it out. Dick just went to Thingy.